


Prelude: Raava Wakes

by MACRA



Series: Mystery Women of Republic City [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-02 01:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13307175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MACRA/pseuds/MACRA
Summary: Korra is just a normal young woman, trying to get by in Harbor City. The last person you'd expect anything strange to happen to. All that's about to change.A superhero origin story.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love origin stories, but I wish that more often superhero creators would jump right in to the adventure and then go back and provide the origin later. So that's what I did. "Write the story you want to read," is what they always say, after all. This takes place before the events in Book One - Fire.

Korra trudged along the quay, yawning. Another less than thrilling night shift in the Harbor City Lifeboat Service. Of course "thrilling" meant a ship in distress and lives in danger, so she supposed she shouldn't complain. At least last night they had held a rescue drill, instead of just more cleaning and maintenance on the cutter. Or, Spirits help them, another inventory. And Commander Ulrik actually had something complimentary to say on her conduct, which was nothing to sneeze at.

The fish market was bustling. The wholesalers and suppliers had been cutting deals for hours, and now the householders were out looking for deals for the day's meals. The tourists wouldn't show up in force for another few hours. Maybe she'd pick up something for her parents on the way home.

Up ahead she saw a family gathered at a stall. The parents were quarreling over something, maybe the quality, as the harassed looking stall owner looked on. A boy of about five was tugging at the sleeve of first his father and then his mother, getting shushed by each in turn. As Korra watched, the boy got bored and wandered off unnoticed toward the quayside. Korra shook her head and sighed, keeping an eye on the kid. It was tricky through the crowd, but after a moment, he emerged at the far side, wandered to the edge of the harbor and crouched down looking into the water.

The mother finally noticed the boy's absence. She looked around in a panic and started calling out. This got the father's attention, and he followed suit. The little boy turned at the sound of his name being called. And lost his balance.

Korra started running even before she saw the splash. Someone on the quayside screamed, and people started crowding around where the boy had gone over the edge. "Get out of the way!" Korra yelled. Whether anyone heard her or not, a gap opened in the crowd. She pushed through and was diving in after the boy when it occurred to her that this was an incredibly stupid thing to do.

Even in summer, the water of the harbor never got that warm. It could be cold enough that the shock of submergence could make you involuntarily gasp for breath. Not a good thing when your head was already underwater. She could hear Commander Ulrik's voice in her head telling her that her recklessness would get her killed one day. She was about to prove him right, by making a lubber's mistake of all things.

It took her a few seconds after she entered the water to realize that she was not drowning and that the harbor felt no colder than the public baths.

It was murky, though. A couple strokes below the surface and she could see nothing deeper down. She halted, doubting that it would do much good to feel around blindly for the boy. As she came to a halt she realized she could feel something. Like a current or an eddy. Down. It led down. She found where the disturbance in the water felt strongest and dove. She felt that she was swimming far down, but surely it must have been an illusion. The pressure on her lungs didn't seem to increase that much.

After several strokes, her hands met something soft, the still form of the little boy. She tried not to worry about the fact that he wasn't moving. She hugged him close with one arm and swam up. The murk gave way to a thin light and then her head broke the surface and she took a breath of fresh air. She blinked the water from her eyes and saw a crowd staring down at her from the quayside. She lifted the little boy up out of the water into the waiting hands of the crowd.

* * *

They insisted on taking Korra to the hospital along with the little boy. The ambulance man kept trying to give her a blanket that she didn't want, ignoring her statements that she felt perfectly warm already. In the emergency room, they made her strip out of her wet clothes, dressed her in a drafty hospital smock, and took her temperature five times before they accepted that it was both normal and stable. Even then, the doctors kept looking at her as if they expected her to turn blue and collapse at any moment. They insisted on calling her parents, rather than releasing her. Korra lay back on the bed to wait.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, her mother was shaking her by the shoulder calling for her to wake up. She was disoriented for a moment and thought she was back home. Then the sights and sounds of the hospital made it all come back to her. She sat up in the bed, saying "Hi, Mom."

Her mother gathered her in a sudden hug. "You could have been killed," she said, her voice muffled.

Korra patted her mother on the back and sighed. "Yes, Mom. I know. People keep pointing that out to me. But I wasn't. I'm fine."

Her mother gave her own sigh, broke the hug, and laid her hands on Korra's shoulders. "You were lucky."

"I know," Korra repeated. She looked around. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Yes, of course. I'll take you home. I brought dry clothes."

As they walked out of the hospital, Korra's mother said, "You know, I am proud of you. You were very brave, and it sounds like you saved that little boy's life. But I do worry about you. You jump head first into things."

Korra laughed. "Like the harbor." Her mother poked Korra in the ribs but still smiled at the joke. A thought sobered Korra up. "Oh, Spirits. I hope Ulrik doesn't hear about this. It'll just confirm everything he already thinks about me."

"He means well," her mother said. "You know, he served with Tonraq before your father left the service. He knows both of us. He probably worries about the daughter of old friends coming to harm on his watch."

Korra sighed. "He could be less difficult about it."

"Maybe so could you? Particularly if you happen to know he's right?"

Korra gave her mother a crooked smile. "Yeah, OK. Fair enough. But could you still not tell him about today?"

"If he doesn't know, he won't hear it from me. Or your father. Now let's get you home. I imagine you want food and sleep."

* * *

Later that day, Korra dreamed.

She stood alone on a vast plain. Not a snowfield, but something farther from home. She stood knee-deep in grass. At least she guessed it was grass. She'd only seen it in pictures before. It stretched off into the distance as far as the eye could see. Slowly, she turned around. Away in the distance, she saw a building that looked like a temple. There was nothing but grass in any other direction. She took a few steps toward the temple and the grass gave way to a path leading straight to the building.

She shrugged and started walking toward the building. "Nowhere else to go, I guess." The temple grew close much faster than her walking pace could account for, as if it were moving to meet her or the land between them was shrinking. Soon it towered over her. The wall that faced her was almost featureless, save for a single gateway. The way in was barred by two massive doors, nearly three times her height and wide in proportion.

A lone man in monks robes sat on a rock just outside the gate. He had a short dark beard and a shaved head. He was concentrating on something in his hand but looked up at her as she drew near and gave her a broad smile. He turned his attention back to his hand. Korra peered close. Two small pebbles hovered over his hand, spinning around each other. As they spun faster and faster, the man's grin widened.

"Is it a trick?" she said.

"It's just a knack," he answered. "It'll come to you in time."

Behind him the gates swung open. She expected to see a courtyard or something. Instead, a corridor stretched into the distance. Impossibly, it was longer than the temple itself could possibly be, and Korra could not make out the far end. The walls and ceiling of the hallway were wood. The floor was covered by a carpet of leaves. It was lit as bright as day, although she could see no source for the light.

The monk stood and walked to the gateway. He looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm sorry, but this isn't your way. It's too soon." As he spoke, a wind began to stir the leaves on the floor of the great hallway. First they just danced along the ground a little. More and more they were lifted in the air. Finally, they swirled from floor to ceiling in a rapid and frantic spiral, as if a great whirlwind filled the corridor. The wind battered at Korra, although it didn't blow the leaves out of the corridor. She held up a hand to shield her face and leaned into the wind to keep from being forced to step back.

The monk stood at the threshold, completely unbothered by the gale. He made a gesture with both hands like he was setting a giant invisible globe spinning. Dust on the ground in front of him was kicked up, as if a small whirlwind had formed where he had gestured. He sat cross-legged in mid-air, over the eddying dust. He glanced back over his shoulder, gave Korra another smile and a little wave, and then shot forward into the corridor. As he disappeared into the distance, the great gates slammed shut once again.

"OK. That was weird." She put her hands on her hips and looked around. "So, if this isn't 'my way,' maybe something else is." She started walking around to another side of the building.

When she rounded the corner, the second side of the building looked more like a palace than a temple. It was decorated with elaborate carvings of dragons, picked out in gold leaf. The nearest ones seemed to glare down at her. In the middle of the wall she could see another gateway, similar to the first. She glanced back the way she came and stared in shock. The wall behind her had changed. It was now decorated in the same ornate fashion. The gateway the monk had disappeared through had vanished.

She turned forward once more. She saw a man next to the new doorway, kneeling before a low table. She walked toward him. It was an old man with long white hair and a white beard. He was dressed like he'd come out of a costume drama. He looked like a nobleman or a court official from before the Long War. He appeared to be writing something with a brush. When she drew close, she realized that he wasn't writing, he was drawing. The picture looked something like a kite with an elaborate pattern on it, flying in front of a mountain range. Korra had a nagging feeling of familiarity as she looked at it. "Is that something I should know?"

The old man looked up at her and smiled. "It's something you will remember. You're already remembering, or you wouldn't be here now."

"That's not actually helpful," she said.

Behind them the gateway swung open, and the old man climbed to his feet. Together they turned to face the gateway. Again, an immense hallway stretched as far as she could see. This time it was lit by torches and richly decorated with silk tapestries bearing images of dragons and volcanoes. As Korra watched, the flames from the torches flared and grew. They seemed to take on a life of their own and spread to fill the entire hallway. She could feel the heat beat against her from where she stood. The old man took a step forward. Korra caught him by the sleeve. "You'll be killed!"

He shook his head and gently pulled free from her grasp. "Not I. But you can't follow. This isn't your way." He walked toward the fire with a slow measured step. Then with a sudden burst of energy, he punched ahead with both hands. The flames parted around him. He repeated the gesture and the flames parted further. Step by step he went forward into the corridor. The flames closed behind him, and yet through the glare and the smoke and the heat shimmer, Korra could still see him making his way forward, apparently unharmed. Then as before, the great doors slammed shut behind him, leaving Korra alone on the outside again.

Korra continued her path around the building. The third side of the building looked like a fortress. The wall was made from huge blocks of stone. The surface was unadorned. It was topped with a parapet far above. There was a third gateway, just like the others. She looked behind and again where she had just been had changed to match the new side of the building. She shook her head in confusion.

Again, someone waited for her just outside the gateway. As she drew close, Korra realized that this time it was a woman, although she was actually taller and broader in build than either of the men. Like the old man, her clothes were of an era long past. In her case, she was dressed like a soldier. Possibly she was an officer, for her long coat, while plain, was of fine make. Her face was painted white with red lips and red streaks over the eyes. The woman was shadowboxing in front of the gate. Unlike the two men at the previous gates, she completely ignored Korra's approach.

Korra looked from the woman to the gateway. "Let me guess. This isn't going to be my way either."

A cool smile spread across the red lips, although the soldier still did not turn her gaze on Korra. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, there's four sides to this building. I got turned away on the first two. I figure if I'm going to find my way, whatever that means, it's not going to happen on side number three, now is it?"

The woman finished her exercises and made a formal bow to no one. She turned to face the gateway, which swung open as if in response. "Very logical."

Korra looked down the endless hallway. It was as plain and functional as the outside of the building. Plain stone walls, floor, and ceiling. "So what's going to happen to keep me out of this one?"

As if on cue, the walls of the corridor slammed together with a boom. It had been as sudden as throwing a switch. They slowly pulled apart, and Korra saw that it had only been the section nearest the entrance that had come together. But while the walls were still drawing apart, the walls of the next section slammed together. And then as they parted, the next section did the same. And the next. And by that time, the walls of the first section had pulled all the way apart only to once again slam shut.

Korra put her hands over her ears to keep out the continual crash of stone on stone. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

"As you guessed," the warrior said, raising her voice to be heard above the din, "this isn't your way. But it is mine." She stepped right up to the edge of the passageway. When the walls just ahead of her slammed together once again, she lashed out with a high kick. The stone shattered under the blow, and the warrior stepped calmly through the rubble. Again, the corridor ahead of her was slammed shut, and again she destroyed the barrier with a single blow. Behind her the rubble began to shift and reform of its own accord. Soon the walls at the entrance were once again intact. Korra winced as they slammed together once again, obscuring her view of the warrior as the woman smashed her way into the distance. Then the great gates swung shut. Korra gave a sigh of relief at the silence.

"This is just insane," She looked to the next corner. "Well, I've come this far. I might as well see what's waiting for me."

As she rounded the final corner, Korra heard the crunch of snow underfoot. In that moment the world was remade. The grassy plain was gone, replaced with the familiar sight of a snow-covered tundra. The building still stood next to her, but now the blocks making the wall were carved from ice, not stone. The fourth gateway lay ahead of her. This time there was no one waiting to greet her.

When she reached the gates she found the remains of a campfire before it. A line of footprints led away from the building out into the icy wastes. "Hello?" she called, looking out over the plain. There was no answer, no sign of any other human being. Whoever had left the tracks was long gone.

She turned her attention to the gates. They were crude, made of whalebone and tanned hides. She half expected them to open of their own accord as the others had, but they stayed shut as she approached. "I guess if this is my way, I have to open it myself." Each gate had a sinew cord hanging in a loop at about shoulder height. Korra grasped one in each hand and pulled. With a creak, they swung open.

Beyond lay a translucent shimmering surface. The perspective was so wrong, it took Korra a moment to recognize it. It was water. The last corridor was filled floor to ceiling with water that somehow stayed in place with apparently nothing to hold it. She reached out cautiously to touch the surface. Ripples spread out from the point where her fingers brushed it. It made her dizzy to see it, but she couldn't look away. She stepped closer and peered into the depths. In the distance she saw a shape flit back and forth. Something was alive back there, swimming about.

It turned face on to her and Korra gasped. It was the thing from the old man's ink drawing. She had mistaken it for a kite, but it was clearly alive. What she had taken for streamers were tentacles. The pattern on its body shone with an ice blue light. It was beautiful.

_Come swim with me, old friend. I've missed you._

Korra let out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She smiled and dove into the water.


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since the dream, the sea was an itch at the back of her mind. The urge to dive in, explore its depths. Seek her companion from the dreams...

Korra looked up from her dinner with a start. "Sorry, what?" Her parents exchanged worried glances.

"I asked if everything is all right," her mother said. "You've been a bit distracted lately."

She gave what she hoped was a convincing smile. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just... have a lot on my mind."

This prompted another exchange of glances. "Is everything all right at work?" her father asked.

"Yeah, things are good," Korra said, glad of a question she could answer truthfully. "I've been buckling down a lot, really working on my discipline. The commander is really happy with my performance."

"That's good," her father said. From his tone, Korra was prepared to bet he'd be using his contacts to double-check her statement. "You just don't talk about it much anymore. You were so excited when you first joined."

"Yeah, well I've just had some things I need to think about."

"Anything you can share with us?" her mother asked.

 _Well, I'm trying to decide if I can trust the voice in my dreams when she tells me that I don't need to worry about silly things like drowning and hypothermia._ Korra tried another smile. "Not right at this moment."

* * *

The cove was about a half hour by motor sled outside of the limits of Harbor City. On a weekend, families would be out here, the kids practicing for their Ice Dodging ceremony. In a month, the trials would be starting up and it would be crowded here even on the weekdays. Right now, in the middle of the week, Korra figured she had a good chance for privacy.

She dug through her pack, double checking that she had everything. Change of clothes, towel, a flask of hot tea. If she was going to try something stupid, she could at least be prepared for it to all go horribly wrong. She looked out to sea. "This is crazy," she said to herself. She should just get back on her sled and ride back home. It was delusional to believe that she was magically impervious to the dangers of the south polar seas just because of some dreams, no matter how persistent and realistic they might be. The problem was, that's exactly what she did believe. She had to try this. She had to know.

The sea bottom dropped away quite sharply as you went out from the shore, and there was a rock shelf that jutted out far enough that it should be safe to dive off of it. She stepped out to the edge and took one last cautious look around. No one in sight. Probably no one for miles around. "Just see how far you can swim out. Simple test, right? Right." She took a deep breath and dove into the sea.

The water here was different than the water in the harbor. The water when she'd rescued the little boy had been murky with silt churned up by the ships going in and out all day. Here it was clear as crystal. It reminded her of her dreams. She swam underwater with strong strokes. She should have felt cold, but like before the water felt warmer than the air above had.

It was all just as her secret self had said it should be. She almost expected to see her companion from her dreams, the great white and blue being that called to her, that had told her she could do this in the waking world. She wanted to laugh. Instead she kept on holding her breath and swam on. When at last her lungs began to burn, she swam to the surface. She took in a deep breath and looked around. About a mile out from shore, there was a small island called Aronaq's Rock. It looked visibly closer than when she had stared. She turned back toward shore and gasped. She must have swum well over a cable length without coming up for air. Even with all the promises of her dreams, she hadn't expected to be this fast. She grinned, took a deep breath, and dived under the surface once more.

She only had to come up for air five times total. On the sixth leg of her swim, she felt the sea bed rise up, well before she was out of breath. She set her feet down and waded the rest of the way up onto Aronaq's Rock. Out of the sea and exposed to the wind, she started to feel chilled. She should just swim back. She knew for a fact now that she would feel perfectly fine while in the water's embrace. She could change into her dry clothes when back on shore.

More from habit than anything else, her hands reached down to the hem of her tunic to wring out some of the water. A twist of the fabric and water flowed from her clothing. And continued to flow. She could feel her tunic grow dry, her breeches, her boots, her hair even. Water just flowed away from the surface of her body to her hands and then spilled out on the ground. Even when she stopped wringing the material of her clothing, the water shed from her. She let go of her tunic completely, held her hands away from her body. Still the water poured from her hands onto the ground, until she was as dry as if she had never entered the water.

Korra stared at her hands, no longer aware of the wind that whistled around her.

* * *

It was about a week later that Korra was walking along the quayside when a ship caught her eye. There was nothing particularly impressive about it. It was just another freighter in dock. It looked like it had seen better days although still well cared for. It was the name that seized her attention. The _Moon Princess_. It nagged at her, like she should know it, like it should mean something to her. It was a reaction that she had more and more often these days; it seemed to come with the dreams. She stared at the ship, willing herself to make sense of the feeling.

"You're blocking the gangplank, kid," a voice behind her said. She turned to look. It was an old man, dressed in nautical looking uniform. The captain, she guessed, although possibly one of the mates. His hair and his beard were both iron gray. The beard was pointed and covered only his chin. The rest of his face was shaved as were the sides of his head. What hair he had he wore in a short pony-tail, like she'd seen on other old timers.

He was even more familiar-seeming than the ship. Acting on an impulse she couldn't explain, she raised both hands to point at him and said, "Heeey."

His reaction was sudden and startling. He paled slightly and his eyes grew wide. "Who are you? What do you want?" All trace of friendliness was gone from his voice.

Korra stepped back, alarmed at his reaction. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just stopped because the name of your ship seemed familiar. And then you came along, and... I don't know why I greeted you that way. Sorry. It just seemed... right."

He pushed past her, continuing to glare at her. "Well, it's not. And you're not needed here, so move along."

Korra's temper flared up. "Hey, mister. I said I was sorry. What's your problem?"

"You have no idea. And let's just keep it that way. Go home." He stomped up the gangway onto his ship without another backward glance. Korra stared after him. She turned away and started to walk home, but she couldn't help glancing backward at the ship as she went. The encounter left her feeling out of sorts. She took the old man's anger far more to heart than made any sense. He was just a stranger. He might seem familiar, but that didn't mean that she knew him. What did it matter to her if he took a dislike to her?

Except it did matter.

* * *

The Harbor Side neighborhood was a small one and if you lived or worked in it, it was hard not to notice the other people who did as well. Once she became aware of the old man, he seemed to show up everywhere. He'd scowl at her and she'd return the favor. She discovered that he frequented the same coffee shop she did. She refused to change her custom, but she'd always leave whenever she saw him come in.

He'd disappear from time to time, and when she checked she would always find that the _Moon Princess_ was not in harbor anymore. He was never gone very long. His ship must be working up and down the coast, not doing long hauls to the other nations.

One day she saw the ship back in port and she didn't see the old man around. She didn't see him at all over the next couple days. She tried to pretend to herself that it didn't bother her. And then she was called into the Commander's office. The commander was in the company of a middle-aged man. He introduced himself as the first mate of the _Moon Princess_. "I guess you've met my Skipper."

Korra fought down the instinct to frown. "Once, briefly. I didn't even know he knew my name."

The mate looked puzzled, but continued, "Well, Miss, it's like this. The Captain's in the hospital. Heart attack, at least that's how it started. Well, he's not a young man and they don't reckon he's got long. He asked me to ask you if you would come and see him.

Korra stared at the man for a moment. To be honest, she wasn't at all sure she wanted to. But by tradition, a sea captain's dying request carried the weight of an order, at least to his men. The mate had fulfilled the letter of the order perhaps, but he'd almost certainly feel he'd failed in his duty if she didn't come along. Whatever she thought of the captain, she had no quarrel with the mate. It was a small thing to grant. She looked at Commander Ulrik. He understood the tradition and nodded to her. "You stand relieved, Korra. Go ahead."

The walk to the hospital was an awkward affair, with neither Korra nor the mate entirely sure why she had been asked after. "Does he have any family, your captain?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Never really talked about them that much. He had a sister, but she's already gone on. I think she had kids, but they haven't spoken much with him since their Ma passed. You know how it is."

Korra nodded absently. She wondered if she reminded the old man of his sister. Or maybe of a niece. She sure as hell hoped she didn't remind him of an old lost sweetheart, because that would be all sorts of awkward.

At the hospital, the mate took her up to the old captain's room. He opened the door cautiously and said "Captain Sokka?" There was no answer. The mate looked at Korra glumly. "He don't stay awake for long. Don't really know if he's actually going to wake up again," he said apologetically.

"I can wait a while," she said.

He left her in the room. Maybe he wanted to grant his captain privacy. Korra didn't mind. The solitude would be better than sitting around awkwardly not knowing what to say to the mate. She settled down, wishing she had brought a book or something. Some time passed and she found herself drifting off.

"I'm sorry." She jerked awake and looked to the bed. The old man had opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. "It wasn't your fault. I should have told you that long ago. And then it was too late and I thought I'd never see you again." There were tears glistening in his eyes. "And now here you are. I'm sorry I pushed you away. I was angry and scared. Ah, well."

Korra shook her head, confused. The old man's mind must be wandering. Who was it he saw sitting at his bedside? Well, it didn't really matter. "It's all right," she said. "I understand."

He shook his head back at her. "No you don't. You're humoring me. That's all right. I knew you would. You don't understand." He tried to sit up. "But you need to." His voice took on a new tone of urgency. "You need to learn. They should have found you before now. You need to understand."

Korra moved forward to take hold of him, worried that he would hurt himself. "Hey, easy now. Take it easy."

He grabbed her arm and his grip was surprisingly strong. "There's too much to tell you. I don't have enough time. Tenzin. Go find Tenzin in Republic City. He can help you." He fell back. "Will you do that?"

"I..." The name Tenzin had carried with it yet another shock of familiarity. It took a moment for her to gather her wits. "I don't know. Maybe. What is it I need to understand? Just give me something to start with."

But the effort had taken something out of the old man. He sank back, no longer looking at her. "I've done my duty. Who would have thought that at the last of it, I'd be the one?" He closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness. His breath was steady and his face peaceful. Korra suspected that even if he woke again, she wouldn't get any more out of him. She laid a hand gently on his shoulder for a moment, and then left him.

The mate caught up with her on her way out. "Did you speak with him?"

Korra heard his real question, the one he was too polite to ask. "He mistook me for someone else. I'm not really sure who. I tried to comfort him some. Say the right words."

The mate nodded sadly. "I wondered if it was something like that. Thank you for coming. I know you don't owe him anything, so I appreciate you giving him the time." He held out his hand. Korra accepted it.

"He's lucky to have you to look after him."

"He's a good captain," the mate said.

It was too late to return to the base. Korra turned her steps homeward. _You don't owe him anything_ , the mate had said. She wondered if it was true.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been obvious, even before Korra had left home, that trying to find a lone man named Tenzin in a city the size of Republic City was nothing short of insane. But it was less insane than going for a swim alone in nearly freezing waters, something she had become accustomed to doing whenever she needed to relax. Insanity had become almost a routine part of her life, so she had seen no reason to let that stop her.

Her plan, such as it was, had been to exploit the strange flashes of familiarity that she had been experiencing. Whatever it was that prodded at her subconscious, the instincts it provoked seemed reliable. She might not understand them until well after the fact, but they meant something. The connections were real, not just her imagination. What she didn't expect was just how familiar Republic City would be.

Back in Harbor City, experiences like recognizing Captain Sokka and his ship had been surprising and noteworthy. In Republic City, the little flashes of familiarity happened every day. More than half the time, things seemed a little off, like they had changed from how she knew them, but they still triggered the conviction of recognition. On the one hand, the constant familiarity stopped being disconcerting and almost faded into the background. On the other hand, it left her almost in the same position as if the city were completely strange to her.

Her big break had actually come in her first week in the city. She just hadn't known it at the time. Republic City General Hospital had not been high on her list of places to work until she had met Doctor Kya. She had felt a wave of trust and affection toward the woman with a strength that rivaled or even exceeded that of her reaction to Captain Sokka. She had been more prudent about not acting out on her reaction, but when she was offered the job of ambulance driver, she took it without hesitation. And then life at work had settled into a routine. She liked Kya, but as the months passed she started to wonder if she had misjudged the strength of her connection to the older woman, simply because she met her when her instinctive sense of familiarity was still something of a novelty.

Then everything fell into her lap all at once. It was one of those times when Kya's shift schedule was synched up with hers. At the end of the day, Kya came into the staff locker room in something of a hurry. "Hot date?" Kuvira asked with a grin.

"I wish. Lin is in the middle of a big case, so I don't get to see her so much. I agreed to babysit for Pema, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Is she actually dating now?"

Kya shook her head. "Alas, no. She's got some sort of community meeting that she wants to attend."

"Who's Pema?" Korra asked idly.

"My sister-in-law. Well, maybe ex-sister-in-law, technically. I'm not sure she's bothered with a divorce. Which is a mistake if you ask me, but it's not my place to decide."

Korra stared at her. "Bumi's married? Or was married."

Kya gave a little laugh that didn't sound that amused. "Not Bumi. My other brother, the one we don't like to talk about. Tenzin." She grimaced as she said the name.

Korra covered her shock at hearing the name with her quite real dismay of dredging up an apparently painful subject. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"Don't worry," Kya said. "It's a sad story, but no great secret. I was never terribly close to Tenzin, and things got worse after our parents died. Three years ago, he abandoned his wife and family, just shortly after the birth of his third child. Even at the lowest points in our relationship, I never suspected he'd do that." She shrugged. "Pema's a good soul. I try to do what I can for her." She glanced at her watch. "Anyway, I've got to rush." She gave Korra a warm smile and was out the door.

Tenzin. It was too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. The man she was supposed to find, and he'd done a bunk three years ago. Captain Sokka couldn't have known. Or maybe his mind actually had been wandering and he forgot. It was maddening to be so close but so far.

Kuvira naturally misunderstood the source of her distress and tried to smooth things over. "Don't worry about asking Kya about her brother. We were talking about all that stuff right in front of you. It was perfectly natural to be curious. Never met the man myself, but he sounds like a piece of work to me. Lin detested him. Of course it sounded like the feeling was mutual, so who knows which came first."

"Yeah," Korra said. "It's just sad to hear about." She picked her words carefully. "Sounds like this Pema is a nice person though. Do you know her?"

* * *

Korra walked past the Gyatso Meditation Center for the fifth time. She had been sure it was the right place the moment she had laid eyes on it, and now faced with the reality, she was losing her nerve. She went into the neighboring green grocer's and pretended to inspect the sea prunes.  _This is ridiculous_ , she thought.  _This is what I came to Republic City for. It's taken me months to get this far._  She left the grocer's, walked back toward the meditation center, and then walked past it for the sixth time. This time she stopped alongside a newsstand. She stared at a blurry picture of a dark figure running along a roof-top. The caption read "Who is the Ghost?" She stared long enough that the stall holder asked her if she thought this was a library.

She'd run out of local businesses to pretend to be interested in.  _Either go in_ , she thought to herself,  _or go home and admit that you've given up on learning the truth_. She stepped up to the door. A cheerful hand-lettered sign read "All are welcome. Come in." She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The door had a set of wind chimes hanging on it, which jingled prettily as she went in. The main room of the center was sparsely furnished, an open space with a polished wood floor. The walls were decorated with scrolls decorated with geometric patterns or bearing inscriptions in unfamiliar languages. The windows were covered with sheer curtains that preserved the privacy of the space while letting in light from the street. There was no one about.

An adolescent girl came out of the back, perhaps summoned by the chimes. She bowed low to Korra. "Welcome to this place of peace," she said.

Feeling a touch embarrassed, Korra gave the girl a little wave. "Oh, thanks. Hi."

The girl came out of her bow and looked up into Korra's face. Her eyes grew wide and she gave a little squeak. She turned and darted back through the curtain, and Korra could hear the girl call for her mother. Korra stared after her, alarmed. What had upset the girl? She wondered if it was smart for her to stick around. There were sounds of a hushed conversation from the back. Then a middle-aged woman came through the doorway. Presumably this was the girl's mother. Which probably meant that she was Kya's sister-in-law, the woman Korra had come to see.

She gave Korra a warm smile. "Welcome," she said. "Please do excuse Jinora. My daughter is usually far more welcoming to strangers, but she gets notions sometimes. She thought she recognized you, and it startled her."

"I know the feeling," Korra muttered under her breath. The woman made a polite noise of inquiry. "It's OK. I don't mind," Korra added hurriedly.

The woman inclined her head graciously. "You are very kind. I am Pema. Please, how may I help you?"

Korra had kept her plans to visit Pema a secret from Kya. She had also decided to limit what she revealed to Pema, at least until she got the measure of the woman.

"Hi, my name's Korra. Um. I was looking for Tenzin?" Belatedly, it occurred to her that a woman with an absentee husband might not react well to a much younger woman coming around asking after him.

Pema's smile grew a little crooked, but her manner remained friendly. "Tenzin is my husband. I'm afraid he isn't here. He's been away for about three years now, so I don't really expect him back anytime soon."

"Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry. The person who recommended your center mentioned him by name. I guess his information was a bit out of date."

"Well, I would be happy to do what I can for you. Was there anything in particular that led you to come here?"

"Dreams," Korra said. That would be safe enough until she figured out how much she should tell this woman.

"Bad dreams?"

"Not really. They're just strange. And they sort of stay with me when I'm awake, so it gets kind of distracting."

Pema nodded. "Yes, I think I could help you with that. Perhaps some mindfulness training for a start." She started arranging some mats on the floor. "Who recommended us to you?"

Should she tell the truth? She decided that she should as far as possible. "It was an older man, back in Harbor City. Captain Sokka."

Pema sighed and looked sad. "Ah, Sokka. So I take it that it's been some months since he recommended us."

"Oh, you know about his, um, passing. I didn't really know how close he was to you. I'm sorry."

Pema shook her head. "It is I who should apologize. I keep surprising you with my family dramas. No, it's not much of a surprise that Sokka wouldn't tell you much about us. I'm surprised, though pleased, that he mentioned us at all. And for dreams, was it?" She walked to a cabinet and pulled out a large scroll. "Sometimes contemplating an image can be useful in focusing the mind. I think this one might be appropriate." She unfurled the scroll and showed it to Korra. Korra gasped in surprise. It was a picture of the figure from her dreams. Pema nodded. "Yes, I thought you might recognize it. Although I imagine you haven't been introduced. This is Raava. She is the spirit of peace and light. And you, unless I miss my guess, are her Avatar."


	4. Chapter 4

Korra had a lot of questions. Pema insisted on making tea. She led Korra into the back to a tidy kitchen and gestured for her to sit at the table. While the older woman puttered around the teapot and cups, Korra said. "Avatar. What exactly does that mean?"

"It means your soul is bound to Raava, and it is through you that her power can manifest in this world."

"Don't I get a choice in this matter?"

Pema looked up and gave her a big smile. "I should certainly hope so. At the very least, it is entirely up to you what you do with your life. As for Raava, well there's no record of any of your previous incarnations wishing to part from her. I don't actually know if it's possible after all this time, but I trust she would not impose herself unwanted if it were in her power to separate from you." She returned her attention to the tea. "You see her in your dreams, don't you? They might not have been the real reason you came here, but you recognize at some level they're connected. What does she say to you?"

"She asks me to swim with her."

Pema nodded. "Water. She always manifests in a child of the Tribes when the cycle turns to water." Before Korra could ask what that meant, the woman continued. "And do you? Swim with her?"

Korra swallowed. "Yes."

Pema looked at her again. "What's it like?" Her tone sounded genuinely curious.

"It... It's like how I always imagined flying would be. Like the ocean's the sky and we can go wherever we wish and never have to land." Korra looked away from the older woman's gaze and felt her cheeks flush.

"It doesn't sound like you would give that up if I gave you the choice," Pema said mildly.

"No. No, I wouldn't." She looked back at Pema. "But I still don't understand what all this means. Some spirit didn't bind me to her just to take me swimming. So what's the catch?"

Pema didn't answer right away. She brought the teapot to the table and poured a cup for each of them, before sitting down opposite Korra. "Do you believe what I've told you so far?"

Korra ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know. I didn't really believe in the Spirits before all this started, but it's not crazier than anything I've already been through."

"What have you experienced besides the dreams?"

"The whole swimming thing isn't just in my dreams. I can swim crazy distances on a single breath and I don't feel the cold in the water. I think that was the first thing I experienced. I rescued a kid who had fallen into the bay in Harbor City right before the dreams began. Also, things in the real world that I've never seen before seem familiar. That's how I met Captain Sokka. I kind of pissed him off. It was really a surprise when he asked to talk to me."

Pema nodded. "Sokka's relationship with your predecessor was complex."

"What predecessor? You've got to stop asking me questions and start answering them."

Pema held up her hand apologetically. "I just needed to get a feel for how much convincing you would need. The short version is that Raava first joined herself to the soul of a man named Wan ten thousand years ago. That in itself is a rather complicated story. I'll be happy to tell it to you in full sometime, but right now I think it would tax your patience. At any rate, he was the first Avatar. Through Raava, he gained power over the elements. Together, they fought to bring balance to the world. When he died, Raava followed his soul to its next incarnation, who became the next Avatar. You are the latest incarnation of the Avatars. To date, as far as our records can show, all of the Avatars have chosen in their own way to continue Wan's original mission. But it is a choice."

"Wait. Power over the elements? I mean, I've heard of Republic City's Avatar. Everyone has. I always figured it was some sort of trickery and the stories were blown out of proportion. Are you expecting me to believe that he was me?"

Pema smiled and sipped her tea. "Well, your previous incarnation. So in a metaphysical sense, yes. That was you."

"How come no one's ever heard of the previous Avatars?"

"Well, that's not strictly true. Until Aang, the previous Avatar, none of them used the title formally. Some fought their battles in secret. Some acted more publicly but were discreet in the use of their powers. Some were entirely out in the open, but today they are simply considered legends. General Kyoshi, for example."

Korra stared. "Kyoshi was a real person?"

Pema waved her hand. "Which rather illustrates my point. We live in an age where there is an estrangement between the physical and Spirit realms. The powers of the Spirits follow rules of the will, not natural laws. So when people today are confronted with them, they look for the trick or write the whole thing off as a story."

Korra sat in silence, turning over what she had been told in her mind. It was crazy. She should just write off Pema as a crank, get out of there and get on with her life. Except for the niggling little fact that she believed every word the woman said. "I have the power over the elements?"

"Well, not yet. But if you are interested and accept my training you will have." She gave Korra a big smile. "Would you like to see what the power of water is good for besides swimming?"

* * *

If Pema was a crank, she was a crank with a hidden training hall in the upper level of her home. It was larger than Bumi's gym and accessed by a hidden door in Pema's study. The girl who had first greeted Korra was waiting in the gym and rushed up as they entered. "Is it really you?" she asked Korra breathlessly.

"Jinora," Pema said in a chiding tone.

"Sorry," Jinora said, sounding only slightly abashed. She bowed to Korra.

"Uh, hi," Korra said. "I guess? I mean, your mother thinks I'm the 'you' you're looking for."

"Oh, Jinora's asking more out of excitement than doubt. She's quite gifted spiritually. Unusually so." Pema ruffled her daughter's hair.

Jinora ducked her head and said, "Mo _ther_."

"She was born well after her grandfather died," Pema continued. "But she recognized who you were instantly."

"Her grandfather?" Korra frowned. "Wait. Are you talking about the last Avatar? What did you call him? Aang?"

"Ah." A wry smile tugged at the corner of Pema's mouth. "I probably should have mentioned that sooner."

"And you're...?"

"His daughter-in-law," Pema explained.

"You're telling me I'm the reincarnation of Kya's  _father_?"

For the first time, Pema truly seemed caught by surprise. "Oh. Yes, I suppose I am" she said weakly.

Jinora's eyes grew wide. "You know Aunt Kya?"

Korra glanced at Pema. "I wasn't planning on bringing that up until I had a better idea about what you knew and could tell me."  _And if I could trust you_ , Korra added to herself.

"Yes, I can see that," Pema said. "Well, that will give you a little more context for some of the family drama."

"Does she know about-" Korra gestured to the training hall, "all of this?"

"She does. She doesn't really approve and hasn't been involved for years. But she knew since she was Jinora's age. Does she know you're here?"

"No. I heard about you from her, but I tried not to let her realize how much I was interested."

Pema's smile twitched. "You have good instincts about secrecy. If you decide to go through with this whole thing, they'll serve you well. Well, we came up here to give you an idea of what you can do. Shall we?"

Korra looked around the training hall. Near the door were stacks of stone disks with square holes in the center, like old coins. At the far end, there was an array of ornate wood panels mounted on vertical shafts. Pema and Jinora were walking toward a pool of water near the halfway point of the hall. Korra touched one of the disks. "What's all of this for?"

Jinora looked back. "Those are for Earthbending."

"Earth _bending_?"

"Bending is what we call the Avatar's elemental powers. Like you bend them to your will. There's one for each of the four elements: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth."

"Huh."

"And if you'll step over here," Pema called. "We can start with Waterbending." Korra walked over to join her at the edge of the pool. "Each of the Avatars," Pema continued, "has a primary affinity with one of the elements. It follows a cycle. Even without the evidence of your experiences, we know that it is water's turn in the cycle. We're going to start with an elementary exercise to develop your conscious awareness." Pema stood Korra at the edge of the pool and started guiding her through a series of motions. "Each bending form has it's own movements. No one is really sure if they are convenient aids to concentration, or if the movements are somehow intrinsically tied to the control. As you pass your hands over the pool, focus your mind on the feel of the water."

Skeptically, Korra mimicked Pema's motions. She wasn't clear how she was supposed to feel the water with her hands at shoulder height and the water at her feet. She concentrated on the form. After several passes, her brow furrowed. "Hey. I think I can actually feel something. It's almost like the air is a little thicker over the pool."

"Excellent. Just keep on working on that. Reach out with your mind. With your spirit. Extend your awareness." As Korra continued through the form, Pema stepped behind her and continued speaking. "Water is the element of change. Water adapts to its surroundings. It shapes itself to fit any vessel. It flows around any obstacle. Waterbending at its most basic level is about guidance. You provide a channel that the water will choose to flow through rather than stay still or flow elsewhere. The water then does the rest of its own accord." Pema's calm intonation and the repetition of the motion had started to lull Korra into a trance.

"Pick it up now!"

Pema's sudden instruction had come just as Korra had completed the pattern of the form. Instinctively, Korra repeated the form once more, but more rapidly, more vigorously. For a moment she felt the resistance of the water. Then her hands parted a channel in the air, and the water flowed up out of the pool, mimicking the arc of her hands. She froze and the water pooled in midair into a sphere floating bare inches above her outstretched hand. She stared and started to laugh. "I did it. It's actually real."

Pema stepped into her field of view. The older woman was smiling at her warmly. "Yes, you did. Well done. Well, what do you say, Korra? Do you want me to teach you more?"

Korra turned her head to face Pema, feeling the grin spread over her face. The globe of water still floated where she held it. "Do I ever."

* * *

" _Earth is the element of substance. All earth is one. A pebble or a mountain, they are all part of the same whole. The heart of earthbending is connection. Only earth can move earth, so you must become one with it. It requires the greatest awareness of your surroundings of all the elements._ "

* * *

When Korra arrived for her Earthbending training, Pema escorted her to the basement instead of the training hall. "We're going to try something different today. Take off your shoes."

Korra did as instructed. "The floor's cold," she remarked.

"Probably. I'm afraid you won't be able to do much about that until we progress to Fire. Unless you have the very rare talent of lava bending, and I don't propose to try teaching you  _that_  for quite a while."

Korra grinned. "Particularly not in your home, I'd guess."

"What we  _are_  going to work on is your seismic sense. It is something like your ability to use currents and eddies to feel out your surroundings when underwater. But because of the great awareness of interconnectedness that Earthbending fosters, it is potentially much more accurate and detailed. Avatar Seijo was said to be able to track the movement of ants a mile away. That's probably a tall tale, but she did learn to tell if someone was lying to her by sensing the change in their heartbeat. Just from how that change was transmitted through the ground they both stood upon. And that is a skill that has been passed down and mastered by later Avatars, including several who did not have Earth as their first element. I don't guarantee you'll learn to be that sensitive, but even the basics of the art will be of great use to you."

"Sounds cool," Korra said. "What do I do?"

"First, get into a horse stance."

Korra complied. "OK. Now what."

"Now you need to hold it, I'm afraid. Reach out with your awareness as you've learned. It's just that this time, you're not trying to create motion. You're just trying to sense the motions that exist."

"Uh huh." Korra concentrated. "Am I supposed to sense anything in particular?"

Pema glanced at her watch. "Well the streetcar that runs down this street always makes the front windows rattle, but you can't hear it pass down here. I'm hoping that it produces strong enough vibrations for you detect as a novice. If not, we'll try something a bit more drastic."

"OK. If you don't mind me asking, how the hell did you learn to teach all of this stuff that you can't do yourself?"

"Well, it wasn't easy. A lot of the method is written down, but I doubt I'd be able if I hadn't known Aang for a couple years before his death. He helped teach me how to teach."

"Wow. You were younger than I am now. Did he pick you to train his successor?"

Pema gave a sad laugh. "I was the back-up plan. Which I suppose goes to show why it's important to have one. Tenzin was the one who was supposed to train the next Avatar, as the only one of Aang's children to stay with the order."

Korra had learned to stop apologizing for asking questions that uncovered unpleasant family history. She just nodded and said, "I see."

"It helps that you're such a good student," Pema offered.

Korra laughed. "You are probably the first person to ever call me that."

"Maybe you needed to learn how to learn first. However, right now you should probably be silent for a while and concentrate."

"Right." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to reach out through the soles of her feet. She tried to build on her awareness. She could feel the structure of the concrete floor, each crack, the little variations in density. Surely it wouldn't be that hard to feel a vibration passing through it?

From upstairs came a prolonged metallic crashing sound. "I'm pretty sure I detected that with my ears instead of my feet," Korra said.

"Mother!" came Jinora's voice from upstairs. "Ikki is making a mess in the kitchen!"

Pema covered her face with her hand for a moment and shook her head. "I'll be right back."

* * *

" _Fire is the element of power. Fire is transient, impatient, but devastating while it exists. Firebending requires mastery. More than any of the other elements, both the force and control of firebending must come from within, because unlike the other elements, fire does not persist_."

* * *

Pema and Jinora approached Korra from two different directions, staffs at the ready. Jinora made the first move, stepping forward in preparation for a downward strike. Korra fired a blast over the girls head to discourage her. Pema shifted to the side. Although she didn't press inward, Korra was forced to shift her own position to keep the two from surrounding her. The pattern continued for a while. Pema allowed Jinora to take the offensive, while she attempted to use the distraction to flank Korra. Korra allowed the routine to lull her into complacency. Then, on some signal Korra could not see, both Pema and Jinora pressed forward at the same time with greater ferocity than the girl had shown on her own.

Korra did a backflip away from the attack. As her feet passed over her head she fired two blasts of fire at the floor, launching herself higher and further back. She landed on her feet well out of reach, and with a sweep of her arm sent an arc of flame fanning out, forcing mother and daughter to retreat in response. Korra settled into a guard stance to await the renewed attack.

Instead, Pema said, "Enough," and stood to attention. Jinora lowered her staff and did likewise. The two bowed to Korra. Korra straightened up and bowed in return. "Very nice," Pema said. "I particularly liked your last maneuver. However, I can't help noticing that more and more you're going on the defense rather than offense with your firebending."

Korra had been grinning at the praise, but now shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I just feel a little uneasy going full bore offense," she said. "This stuff is dangerous."

"We're wearing fire-resistant outfits," Jinora said.

Korra folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Which isn't the same as fireproof."

"And when she faces someone out in the real world," Pema added, "they are unlikely to even have fire-resistant clothing." Korra looked at her, surprised at her agreement. Pema smiled. "I appreciate your sense of caution. But I do need to concerned about your safety. If you're in a situation where your life depends on it, will you be able to go on the offensive, 'full bore' as you say?"

Korra sat down on the floor and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know. It's just, I've been remembering the burn victims that have been in my ambulance the past couple of years. I don't know what set me to thinking about it, but now that I am it bothers me." She summoned a flame over her palm. "I'm good at firebending. Maybe even better than I am at waterbending. And I like it. But it's just good for destruction as far as I can see. And if that's what I'm best at, what does that say about me?"

Pema sat down next to her. "Honestly, not a lot. The fact that you worry about it says a lot more."

"And fire isn't  _just_  destructive," Jinora said. "It keeps people warm in cold weather. It cooks food." She trailed off and looked at her feet. "Not really anything you need to be the Avatar to do, I guess."

Korra twitched a smile at Jinora. "Thanks all the same, kiddo."

"I'll grant you," Pema said, "that firebending does not have anything like the healing of waterbending or seismic sense in earthbending or even just the flight of airbending. As you say, it has always been about fighting." She smiled. "Perhaps you'll be the one to change that."

* * *

" _Air is the element of freedom. The slightest crack is all it requires to escape any prison. The other elements are naturally confined, but the realm of air extends to the sky. You can't create movement in air that isn't already there, but that's not a problem because all motions already exist. Airbending is the art of encouragement. You identify the currents that suit your needs and persuade them to grow stronger._ "

* * *

For a moment, Korra thought she was actually going to succeed this time. She slipped between two of the spinning gates and dodged around a third. But she had still misjudged the pattern and the next gate caught her in the shoulder. She tried to recover, but her rhythm was thrown off. She bounced from gate to gate, each blow throwing her further off balance. As a final indignity, when she emerged on the far side, the last gate smacked her in the rear, sending her stumbling forward.

"I thought I had it," she said, leaning on her knees and panting. "I thought I had the pattern figured out."

Pema smiled broadly. "Aha. Now there is your problem. There isn't one."

Korra looked up at her. "Isn't one what?" she asked, already guessing the answer.

"There isn't a pattern. The gates will spin differently every time."

Korra groaned and flopped down to sit on the floor. "I'm never going to get it."

"No, no. This is progress. You've been working your way backward through your training. First you approached the problem like a firebender and tried to make it through by sheer power."

Korra pulled a face. "Sorry about that."

Pema waved this away. "The gates were easy enough to repair. Then you tried to approach it like an earthbender. You didn't try to overcome the gates, but you tried to withstand them. Now you're thinking like a waterbender and trying to solve them. You're trying to find their shape, like they're a vessel for you to fit into. It's still the wrong approach, but this is excellent."

"Why?"

"Because we've reached the last thing for you to unlearn before you start thinking like an airbender."

Korra threw up her hands. "So if I'm not supposed to solve the gates, what am I supposed to do?"

Pema reached out her hand and pulled Korra to her feet. They walked to stand before the airbending gates once more. "Just be with them. However they may happen to be spinning, just accept it. They will spin as they will. Just accept it and move past them."

"I think I understand."

Pema stepped to the crank that started the airbending gates rotating. "Are you ready to try again?"

Korra nodded hesitantly. She puffed out a breath. "It still doesn't sound that easy."

"It won't be," Pema said. "At first. And then later, it will be."

Korra nodded again more firmly. She didn't understand how to accept the motion of the gates. But she was ready to accept that another buffeting was part of her path to learning. "Let's do it."

* * *

"So what are we doing tonight?" Korra asked as she stepped into the training hall.

Pema gave her a smile. "We are doing this." She waved Jinora forward and then stepped back and assumed an oddly formal stance.

Jinora grinned as she thrust a bundle wrapped in brown paper and twine at Korra. Korra accepted it in puzzlement. "It looks like a laundry bundle," she said.

Jinora looked slightly miffed, but Pema laughed. "Well, that's not entirely wrong. Open it up."

Korra fished out her pocket knife and cut the twine. She tore away the paper and Raava's mark looked up at her. With a puzzled frown, she set down the bundle on a nearby stack of earthbending disks. She picked up the top garment from the bundle. It was a pullover top made from some lightweight material. It was mainly blue in color but the front had the image of the Spirit of Light blazoned on it in white. She looked through the rest of the bundle. Blue leggings and gloves and a mask decorated similarly to the pullover, all made of the same material.

"There are also boots," Jinora said. "But we didn't want to get footprints on the rest of it, so we just decided we'd give them to you separately."

"But what is it?" Korra said.

"It's your uniform," Pema said. "Since you decided to follow Aang's example fully, I figured you'd need one. It's modeled off of his uniform, but I chose blue over yellow, in deference to both water as your primary element and your own fashion preferences as I've observed them."

"It's wonderful," Korra said, her throat suddenly feeling tight. "But why now?"

"This is my way of telling you that you're ready," Pema said. "While part of me wants to delay this moment, deep down I know that I won't be doing you any favors trying to hold on to you longer."

Korra stared at her. "But there's so much I haven't learned yet. So much I need to improve at."

"Of course there is," Pema said. "Study never ends. Growth never ends." She laid a hand on Korra's shoulder. "I hope you will continue to work with me and learn more of what I can teach you. But the time has come for the world to be your teacher as well."

Korra pulled the older woman into a hug. "I'll make you proud."

Pema laughed in her ear. "Korra, you've already done that."

* * *

_You're ready._

Over the past few years, Korra had been waiting for those words. Her patience with the pace of her training had frayed at times. She'd yearned to be done, to get out and show what she could do. She'd chafed at every delay and setback. Now there was nothing to hold her back, and she didn't feel ready at all. She looked at the duffel bag she'd used to bring her new uniform home. "What am I going to do with you?"

Outside her apartment, she heard the sound of sirens and the clanging of bells. Fire engines roared past her building. An all too familiar sound these past weeks. The last major fire in Dragon Flats had been only three days ago. How many more? How bad would it be tonight?

How could she make it better?

She opened the duffel and started putting on the uniform. "You asked, and you got an answer. If this isn't what you've trained for, I don't know what is." She went to the window overlooking the alley. Dark outside. It should be safe to exit. Then she just had to find the fire. And figure out what exactly she should do to help. One thing at a time. She lifted the sash and pulled the Mask of Raava down over her head before climbing out onto the fire escape.

"Ready or not, here I come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, full circle to the beginning of Book 1. This chapter is the first published simultaneously on FFNet and here, and from here on out the series will remain in synch on both sites. Book 2 will be starting up soon!
> 
> Stay Mysterious, True Believers. :)


End file.
